H1N1 Swine Flu Could Be Back in October

As we in the western world enjoy the lazy hazy days of summer, the flu is probably the last thing on our minds – that’s a winter thing, right?

But yesterday, the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices began planning ahead, recommending children between six-months and nine-years-old receive not one, but two doses of H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine this fall, as the notorious killer flu continues to circulate the globe.

Every year, the three most common strains of the flu virus are placed in the seasonal flu vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors these strains, and currently the H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic virus is still the most prevalent one around the world – which is why the American CDC is suggesting it be included in the seasonal flu vaccine.

The two shots for kids is intended for children who haven’t received an H1N1 vaccine ever, as their bodies don’t have any way to fight the dreaded H1N1 Swine Flu.

CDC estimates that about 60 million people – that’s 20 percent of the American population – were infected with H1N1 Swine Flu since the spring of 2009.

Most flu viruses attack children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems hardest, but H1N1 Swine Flu affected children hardest, as they haven’t built up immunity from past flu vaccinations over the course of many years.

Not that adults are immune from the deadly virus, they may eventually be included in the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccination program in the fall as well – but children are still more at risk from this particular strain of flu.

Last year, from April to November, the CDC says about 830 to 1,730 children under 17-years-old died from H1N1 Swine Flu.

On June 11, 2009, WHO declared an H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic, moving their alert level to “phase 6,” marking the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong Flu. About one million people died between 1968 and 1969 from the Hong Kong Flu.

WHO’s latest update on May 30, 2010 says 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, resulting in over 18,138 deaths.

Related articles by Zemanta

• H1N1 Swine Flu Still Around, CDC Says (nlm.nih.gov)
• H1N1 swine flu still around, CDC says (reuters.com)
• Record Number of Americans Got Flu Shots, CDC Says (nlm.nih.gov)
• H1N1 Swine Flu Virus Continues to Kill (shoppingblog.com)
• Young children respond well to recommended swine flu vaccine (eurekalert.org)
• Swine flu virus not so new, study finds (reuters.com)

Spin Doctoring Swine Flu: How the Media Could Make You Sick, Or Worse -- Die

The North American media is all buzzing about the various waves of H1N1 Swine Flu crashing through our communities.

Here in Canada, medical experts say the second wave of the constantly mutating virus has almost completed its run through the country, as reported cases are dropping.

As the numbers of serious cases declines, the media is losing their once strong headline grabber to cover. So, as the media often does, they are spinning the story to keep readers, listeners and viewers buying newspapers, listening to radio reports, and watching newscasts.

The latest spin in the media is squarely asking those who haven’t been vaccinated against H1N1 Swine Flu yet whether there is any need, as the virus isn’t infecting as many people across the country.

Fear is an excellent way to capture readers, listeners and viewers -- which is why the media loves quotes from infectious control experts, medical officers of health, and others in the medical field warning of the dangers of not getting the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine.

Then they go to the street, getting so-called “streeters” – asking people if they have been vaccinated yet against the virus. Once they find someone who hasn’t, they pounce with:

Now that the numbers of cases of H1N1 Swine Flu have gone down, is it worth getting vaccinated?

Image by Rétrofuturs (Hulk4598) / Stéphane Massa-Bidal via Flickr

That’s a leading question, which is typical of streeters. Reporters and their news directors, editors and producers are clever people. They never go to Joe Blow on the street, unless they know what they want to hear.

The question above is leading the person asked towards a “no” giving them the logical conclusion that it isn’t worth getting vaccinated, because the number of cases has gone down.

Sure, you’ll get people saying anything, but ask enough strangers on the street a leading question which hints at the answer, and it won’t be long before you get that sound bite or pull quote you’ve been longing to hear.

Some might argue that the media is just doing what they are supposed to do – be balanced and fair, by providing all sides to a story.

However, what the media is ignoring is their impact on the public good.

Whenever a pandemic has hit, medical experts after-the-fact have told us that if only we had a way of vaccinating people against the pandemic before it hit, the death toll wouldn’t be as high.

Hello?

Here we have a rare opportunity, to vaccinate entire continents from a highly contagious, constantly mutating killer virus, and the news media is asking leading questions prompting people to say they don’t think it necessary to get the vaccine?

Doesn’t that smell a wee bit foul to you – or am I the only one sniffing the stink of a news media gone awry?

Sure, writing stories about how it is important to get vaccinated are biased – but when Liberal or Conservative news outlets cover candidates during an election, do you honestly think they are any less biased in their reporting of who they want to win and who they want to lose?

But the difference here isn’t which candidate gets into office, but whether or not huge numbers of people live or die.

The bubonic plague ravaged Europe in the 1400s, virtually eliminating the human race from that continent. This plague – often called the “Black Plague” or “the Great Plague” crossed continents, spreading across North America, killing thousands globally up until being wiped out by the 1900’s.

Image via Wikipedia

Vaccines have eliminated massive deaths to virus and diseases such as the Great Plague in modern times, such as the vaccine for regular flu.

Yes, much of the hype about the H1N1 Swine Flu is just that – hype. The numbers of those getting seriously sick, or dying from H1N1 Swine Flu in most of North America aren’t really that much different from incidents of serious illness or death from the regular flu.

But for years humanity has had vaccines for the regular flu – not so for the newer H1N1 Swine Flu, which first surfaced in Mexico earlier this year.

The media does the responsible thing during flu season, and promote the benefits of getting the annual flu shot for the regular flu. There’s no question about it – the more people vaccinated, the low

Image by ghinson via Flickr

er the number of infections. This has been proven time and time again since governments worldwide have been making the regular flu vaccine available to their citizens.

H1N1 Swine Flu isn’t that much different from the regular flu – it just caught us off guard, and prompted the scientific alarm bells to scream “pandemic” as they should.

When the deadly virus was first discovered, scientists didn’t know about it, so they hadn’t any way to prevent it from killing off the human race.
But now, thanks to many of those same scientists, we now have a way to save ourselves, and in so doing, our race.

But our news media, more interested in their bottom lines than the greater good, is still hyping H1N1 Swine Flu as the next great plague, causing hysteria, confusion and worse in some cases – inaction.

By confusing people as to the real nature of H1N1 Swine Flu, the media is clouding the issues, causing people to delay or even to abstain from getting the latest flu-type vaccine.

And that could prove to be more harmful for humanity, as those who do not get vaccinated, put themselves – and those around them – at grave risk.

Related articles by Zemanta

• H1N1 Swine Flu Infections Rising in North America (jordansdaily.blogspot.com)
• Canadian flu shot study unlikely to change policy: WHO (cbc.ca)
• H1N1 linked to rise in bacterial pneumonia cases (cnn.com)
• Deaths not linked to H1N1 vaccines: WHO (nationalpost.com)
• Greater Use of Anti-Infection Vaccine Is Urged in Flu Fight (nytimes.com)
• PCs question Liberals' H1N1 vaccine rollout (cbc.ca)
• Montrealers urged to get flu shot (cbc.ca)
• Swine Flu Vaccine Delivery Falls Short; Less Than Half Of Expected Doses Have Been Delivered (huffingtonpost.com)

Canada’s Swine Flu Fiasco

What’s wrong with healthcare these days?

The news media – seriously!

No wonder American’s against U.S. President Barack Obama’s creation of a publicly accessible, universal, government-run healthcare system point to Canada when they make their outrageous claims.

With all the hype in the Canadian news media (and probably the American and other international news outfits), people are rushing free H1N1 Swine Flu shot clinics, as well as the regular flu clinics. At some clinics in Ontario, which just opened yesterday, the line-ups are estimated to

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

be over four-hours long! Some people even camped out hours before the healthcare workers arrived to open the clinic.

Americans see these long line-ups, and hear the horror stories about the goofballs turned away from the flu shot clinic – the free flu shot clinic was for high-risk senior citizens only, and the man turned away on the news clearly wasn’t over 65 – judging from his behavior he may have a long way to go before hitting puberty!

No wonder Americans think the Canadian healthcare system is worse than their system – even though America is the only industrialized nation on the

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

planet that does NOT have some form of universal healthcare for its citizens.

Although the Canadian healthcare system is far from perfect – it is far better than most. The biggest problem with our Canadian healthcare system isn’t the nurses, doctors and other practitioners working long hours – some as long as 12-hour shifts – the problem is government mismanagement from the earliest stages of a project.

The reason the line-ups for the H1N1 Swine Flu are so long and why they have limited the regular flu shot to just those in high risk groups is because they were slow to get off their over-paid butts and plan ahead.

Canada is one of the last of the industrialized nations to begin a vaccination program for the H1N1 Swine Flu, and the regular flu shot.

Ever since I can remember – at least the past decade – I’ve always got my free flu shot in late September, usually the last week of September to be exact.

This year, the regular flu vaccine wasn’t available until this week and we’re almost into November. Rumors were circulating about the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine not being available here until November 2 – they opened up some clinics ahead of schedule.

The H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine has been available for almost a month in most of Europe – so how come Canada took so long?

Even in the only country on the planet without a government-run universal healthcare system – The States, the H1N1 Vaccine has been out well ahead of Canada’s inoculation campaign.

The federal government in Canada dropped the ball big time on this one. Yes, they did their due diligence to make sure it was safe for public consumption, but they jeopardized that public’s health and well being, by not having planned for the implementation of these vaccines.

Because of these delays, people are becoming infected with H1N1 Swine Flu, and in some instances ending up in the hospital for severe illness.

School boards in Ontario are reporting as many as 10 percent of their pupils absent due to the flu – which flu that is, and whether or not they are legitimately sick hasn’t been verified.

Though the media hype is focusing on the few teenagers who have died from the illness, which is understandable, as it is rare for healthy kids to die from the flu.
Last week, a 15-year-old passed away from complications from H1N1 Swine Flu, and this week a 13-year-old has died from the virus.

As the news media focuses on these deaths, and interview teary-eyed parents mourning the passing of their kids, parents scramble with their kids in tow. The country’s largest children’s hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children in To

ronto had to call nurses in from other floors and some who were not scheduled to work, just to handle the flood of parents and children storming their hospital, hoping to get their kids vaccinated. The children’s hospital in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, also reportedly had to call in reinforcements to deal with an onslaught of parents and their kids.

The problem medical experts are telling us, is that children haven’t fought off as many flu attacks as older people, so they don’t have as strong anti-bodies as those of us who have gone through the flu several times.

This is also a case to encourage parents to stop giving into antibiotics for every cold their kids get – sure they get better faster, but they don’t have the opportunity to develop their own resistance and their immune systems do not develop their full potential.

When the media isn’t focusing on young people dying from the H1N1 Swine Flu, they swamp us with stories about gigantic crowds of people, waiting hours for their free H1N1 Swine Flu shot, making those of us who haven’t yet had time to take off work to go and get the shot, wonder if we will even be able to get it?
Who can take off four-hours from work?

At one H1N1 Swine Flu vaccination clinic, people were lined up around the outside of the building and for several blocks, some claiming to have been in line for over four-hours.

There are always line-ups at flu shot clinics – but these excessively long ones need not have happened in the first place.

Thank your federal government Canada, for mismanaging the seasonal and H1N1 flu clinics to the point of disarray.

There is no reason why one of the most prosperous industrialized nations, with one of the best healthcare systems on Earth has people lining the streets for hours, waiting for a flu shot.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Rush for vaccine puts high-risk groups at risk: experts (ctv.ca)
• Quebec gets head start on flu shots after outbreak (ctv.ca)
• Canadian flu shot study unlikely to change policy: WHO (cbc.ca)
• To be jabbed or not (cbc.ca)
• Obama declares H1N1 emergency (blisstree.com)
• What makes H1N1 deadly (nationalpost.com)
• Swine flu deaths rise to nearly 5,000: WHO (cbc.ca)
• Canada Mangles H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccinations - Threatens World Order (jordansdaily.blogspot.com)
• H1N1 Swine Flu Infections Rising in North America (jordansdaily.blogspot.com)
• America's Heathcare Fight Isn't About Healthcare (jordansdaily.blogspot.com)

H1N1 Swine Flu Infections Rising in North America

It just had to happen – or at least that’s what medical experts have been predicting for some time. Another round of H1N1 Swine Flu is going around North America – and possibly the world.

Just yesterday, about 140 students in a Milwaukee, USA school were sent home and the school was closed, because most of the students, and some of the staff were suffering with symptoms of the dreaded bug. Several schools in the area have closed down, some with confirmed cases of the H1N1 Swine Flu, and in some of those instances, some children have been hospitalized with the H1N1 Swine Flu virus.

Local medical officers of health have publicly said that they believe all the infections are H1N1 Swine Flu, as they haven’t seen any outbreaks of other less severe flues in the area. They have collected samples and are running lab tests prior to confirming each infected site, but are leaning towards the H1N1 strain of flu.

Also yesterday, American Congressman Greg Walden (Republican) confirmed earlier reports that he has been diagnosed with the H1N1 Swine Flu. Walden sent a one-line message (commonly called a “tweet”) on the

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

online micro blogging site Twitter.com this past Monday saying he had just arrived home from the doctor’s office with the diagnoses, and that he was going into “seclusion for a while.”

Hitting closer to home, here in Ontario Canada, a turkey farm was quarantined after it became clear the turkeys were infected with the H1N1 Swine Flu.

This is of particular concern, as the virus can further mutate inside a turkey, and then re-infect a person, creating a monster combination Swine/Turkey variant of the virus, which may be even harder for human beings to overcome.

Medical experts across the globe have been predicting a rise in the H1N1 Swine Flu – many suggesting the winter holiday season around Christmas and New Year’s as the timeframe. But it appears Christmas has come early for the virus, as it is making a comeback now.

Some are even going so bold as to not shake another person’s hands, for fear of catching the virus. Although proper hand washing techniques can shave off most colds and flu, it’ll take a lot more than avoiding a handshake to prevent catching the virus.

When a pandemic strikes, everything and everyone is a potential threat – even from the most innocuous everyday things.

Forgot to bring lunch to the office? Not an uncommon occurrence, so you figure you’ll do what many (including myself) do in times of hunger – go out for lunch.
Problem is, no matter how well you wash your hands, if the people prep

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

aring or serving you your food are infected with the H1N1 Swine Flu, then you stand a greater chance of coming down with the virus too. And in low paying (often minimum wage) jobs such as in food services industries, people will often work regardless of how sick they are, because they need the money.

The same is true for another part of our food supply chain – grocery stores. Those apples may look perfect shining under the grocery store lights, but if the store employee who put them on the shelf in the first place was sick with the H1N1 Swine Flu, guess what? Yes, you too can catch the flu.

That’s the whole nature of a pandemic – it is when a disease spreads so easily from person to person, no matter how many precautions are taken, the odds are greater that most will eventually contract the illness.

You can minimize the impact of the illness if and when you do catch it. That’s what the flu shot is for, and it doesn’t hurt to take multivitamins to strengthen your immune system, and help you fight off colds and flu faster.

So the lesson here is simple – wash your hands, lock your doors and windows – or wait that’s advice for something else.

Wash your hands often, sneeze and cough into your sleeve (not your hands) to avoid spreading germs and get your flu and H1N1 Swine Flu shots when they become available in your area.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Swine flu 6 months later: Relief, but winter looms (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Canada Mangles H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccinations - Threatens World Order (jordansdaily.blogspot.com)
• Canadian flu shot study unlikely to change policy: WHO (cbc.ca)
• Flu Data Shows Concerned Health Officials, Skeptical Public (dailykos.com)
• CDC: 76 Children Dead Of Swine Flu As Cases Rise (huffingtonpost.com)
• Supplies of Regular Flu Vaccine Run Short in Places (nytimes.com)
• Special Swine Flu Update, Dr. Mercola Alert (wholefoodandmore.net)
• Many hospital H1N1 cases otherwise healthy: CDC (cbc.ca)

Canada Mangles H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccinations – Threatens World Order

How are you battling the spread of the common flu and the ever feared H1N1 Swine flu?

Chances are, you’ll be able to get an H1N1 Swine Flu shot and (in most cases) a regular flu shot if you live in an industrialized country such as Canada or the United States of America.

For most in these industrialized countries, they have already received their flu vaccinations – not so if you live here in Canada.

The Canadian government mis-managed testing and distribution of the

Image via Wikipedia

H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine – so much so, it has delayed it well beyond what most medical experts consider the safe window of opportunity.

Usually here in Canada, provincial governments freely vaccinate residents starting in early October for the common flu virus. Thanks to Canada’s federal health agency taking its time with the testing of the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine, the common flu vaccine may not be available until well into the flu season – which could create a major national outbreak of the nasty bug.

Or far worse, the killer H1N1 Swine Flu could spread across Canada faster than ants to honey, creating a very devastating and possibly dangerous pandemic. Just last week, a 15-year-old boy in northern Ontario, Canada died from the H1N1 Swine Flu.

There have been numerous infections of the H1N1 Swine Flu in Canada, though for the most part, they haven’t been fatal.

Though scientists are predicting the now quiet pandemic in North America will see a rocket-like rise in cases late in December and January, partly due to the increased amount of travel caused by the seasonal holidays.

But will Canadians be ready to fight both flu bugs when they hit their peak? Will we see people wearing surgical masks, and covering their face with tissues (which doesn’t work) to prevent catching these bugs, as they did in some major city centers during the Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak years ago?

Will people be civil despite the monster line-ups expected for the free flu vaccination clinics? In the past, you could go to your doctor to get your free flu shot, and you still can. But to get the new H1N1 Swine Flu shot, you have to go to a government-run clinic – these are only available from the government.

Confused?

That’s another part of the constantly compounding problem – all three l

Image via Wikipedia

evels of government have managed to work together to bring us our flu shots, but they haven’t done a very good job of communicating these combined efforts to the public.

Most don’t know that this year, instead of getting just one flu shot, you need at least two – maybe three depending on your age and overall health.

Generally, Canadians will be eligible for two free flu shots – one for the common flu, the other for the H1N1 Swine flu. For children, the elderly and people with certain medical conditions, you may need a third shot, a booster H1N1 Swine Flu shot.

The common flu shot is still available through most family doctors, but the H1N1 Swine Flu shot is generally only available from government-run H1N1 flu clinics.

In some provinces, the federal government will be running these government-run flu vaccination clinics, in others the provincial health ministry will run the show, while in others it will be the local municipal government’s health department.

This makes the whole ordeal just that – and it doesn’t end there.

Because old habits die hard, and most of us are used to getting our annual flu shot by now, the late start to these vaccination clinics is expected to drive people in great numbers to these government-run clinics. Meaning the line-ups will not only be long, but possibly uncivil.

Imagine being taken to the hospital, because a riot breaks out during a flu vaccination session at one of these clinics?

Well, at least the hospital will be able to give you your shots, while they repair the damage caused at the mis-managed government-run H1N1 Swine Flu vaccination clinic.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Doctor Wants Flu Shot Priority for Team Canada (nytimes.com)
• Drug makers can't meet flu vaccine demand: WHO (nationalpost.com)
• H1N1 vaccine safe, top health officials stress (cbc.ca)
• One ready, Canada's H1N1 vaccine supply to move quickly (ctv.ca)
• Swine flu vaccine not mandatory, McGuinty says (cbc.ca)

Canadian Study Claims Flu Shot Increases Chances of Contracting H1N1 Swine Flu

For many in Canada and around the world, it is an annual fall tradition – rolling up your sleeve for the once-a-year flu shot.

Medical experts for years have been telling us these shots are good for everyone, as they really do help keep society safe from the flu, by reducing contamination rates.

This may change, if an unpublished Canadian study proves to be true. The series of studies from British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario says that those who got a seasonal flu shot last year are almost twice as likely to catch H1N1 Swine Flu when compared to those who have not had the annual vaccination.

The study’s lead writer’s have submitted a scientific paper to a medical journal, but won’t comment on it until it has been reviewed by other medical experts.

Image via Wikipedia

Traditionally, medical journals prohibit researchers from discussing their unpublished work, prior to it being reviewed and published.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned that this unpublished study will deter people from getting their annual flu shot, and is encouraging its member countries to promote and provide both seasonal and H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic flu shots.

News of the unpublished study isn’t new – the Public Health Agency of Canada knew of this study some time ago and has been keeping a low profile while it tries to determine the validity of the research.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also knew of the unpublished study, and has dismissed it due to lack of similar evidence in the States.

Whether the study is accurate or flawed remains the question for medical experts – but the immediate concern remains: should I or shouldn’t I get a flu shot this year?

Flu shots aren’t golden tickets promising those who get them a flu-free season. Every year, microbiologists, virologists and other scientists work together to crack the flu vaccine secret code for the following flu season. Their research is based on the trends going on around the world with the current flu variants, and the seriousness of those infections.

The flu virus is usually made to counter the effects of three strains of the flu – and these three strains are the ones those medical miracle workers believe are the most likely ones to harm the public.

That’s why the flu vaccine may differ in results from year-to-year. Usually the brains behind the vaccine are pretty accurate, but just two years ago they admitted defeat, as they publicly stated that they had predicted the wrong variants, and so the flu shot didn’t do as much good as it could have.

But with this new unpublished study making the rounds of medical experts desk’s the question isn’t if the annual seasonal flu shot will work, but rather, will it make you more likely to catch the deadly H1N1 Swine Flu?

And that’s the question I’d like to know the answer too.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Studies link seasonal flu shots to swine flu risk (thestar.com)
• Seasonal flu shot may raise H1N1 risk: Canadian study (nationalpost.com)
• Seasonal flu shot may increase H1N1 risk (cbc.ca)
• Canadian study on seasonal flu shot concerns WHO (ctv.ca)
• Flu Season Could Peak in October Before Vaccine Arrives (shoppingblog.com)
• H1N1 vaccine priority groups released (cbc.ca)
• Canada decides size of H1N1 vaccine order (cbc.ca)